accountable official

The senior official within an agency charged with oversight under the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government, named in the transparency statement and responsible for governance, reporting, and ensuring compliance with the Standard and related instruments. This role includes being the public point of accountability for the agency's AI use.

An appointed individual within an organisation charged with responsibility for AI governance and compliance with the proposed guardrails, accountable for oversight, decision‑making and demonstrating organisational compliance (the paper proposes appointment within a specified timeframe after any mandatory instrument takes effect).

An agency-designated official responsible for AI strategy or for a specific in-scope use case, accountable for ensuring impact assessments are completed, outcomes are recorded in internal registers, mitigation actions are implemented, and compliance with the Policy for the responsible use of AI in government (v2.0).

Named individual(s) or chairs of bodies responsible for implementing the policy within an agency, serving as the agency contact for whole-of-government coordination; they must be designated within 90 days of the policy taking effect and are tasked with duties including notifying the DTA of high-risk use cases and overseeing agency compliance.

The person(s) or holder(s) of a named role designated by an agency to be accountable for implementing the AI policy within that agency. AOs act as the principal point of contact for whole‑of‑government coordination, must notify the DTA of new high‑risk use cases, participate in cross‑government forums, and ensure policy implementation across policy, procurement, technology and people functions; the role is an organizational accountability and coordination function rather than personal liability for every agency AI decision.